ISU Softball Hosts Portland State

Softball | 4/9/2015 11:01:00 AM

Notes | Audio | Video | Live Stats

POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State softball team hosts a three-game series with Portland State on April 10-11. The doubleheader on April 10 starts at 2 p.m. while the April 11 game starts at 1 p.m. Following the 1 p.m. game the ISU softball team will host a free kids clinic for all elementary school aged children and younger.  The clinic will begin immediately after the game. All kids should wait behind the first-base dugout and ISU coach Julie Wright will come out and bring everybody to the field.

Portland State leads the overall series 19-7 but the Bengals have won four of the last six meetings. Last year ISU took two of three from the Vikings in Portland, winning 7-4 and 2-1 and losing 10-2 in six innings.

Portland State is 10-27 and 3-6 in Big Sky Conference play. The Vikings are hitting .264 as a team and led by Brit Hendrickson's .374 average. Portland State's pitching staff has a 4.91 era with Megan Hendrix's leading the way with a 4-8 mark and a 4.37 era.

How to Follow the Series
Live stats, audio and video will be available through isubengals.com.

Up Next
Idaho State plays a three game series at Sacramento State April 17-18. Both days begin at 1 p.m. mountain time. ISU returns to Miller Ranch Stadium on April 21 for a 4 p.m. game vs. Utah Valley.

Bengal Bites
- Vicky Galasso has reached base in 25 straight games.
- Kacie Burnett has 17 mulitple hit games and Vicky Galasso has 17 multiple RBI games.
- Vicky Galasso has 15 multiple hit games.
- ISU has won the Big Sky Conference regular season championship the last two seasons.
- Julie Wright boasts a  86-57 record at ISU since the start of the 2013 season. ISU is 33-10 in the Big Sky Conference.
- The Bengals are 17-3 at Miller Ranch Stadium in Big Sky Softball games.
- Idaho State is 22-3 this season when scoring four runs or more.
- Idaho State is 18-4 when hitting at least one home run in a game and 8-0 when hitting two home runs or more.
- ISU is 15-1 this season when out hitting an opponent. The only loss was 4-1 at UNLV.
- Idaho State has never lost a Big Sky Conference home series. Since the 2013 season ISU has swept four three-game series and won two of three in three series'.

Galasso Nearing NCAA Record Book
Vicky Galasso needs six home runs to move into a tie for 25th place in the NCAA record book for most home runs in a career. Galasso has 57 homers and Oli Keohohou (BYU/Long Beach State, 2001-03, 2005) finished her career with 63. Galasso will move into a tie for 23rd place with seven more home runs. Stacey Nuveman (UCLA, 1997, 99, 2001-02) holds the record with 90. Galasso has 205 RBIs. She needs 25 to move into a tie for 22nd.

Bengals Among NCAA Stats Leaders
Several Bengals are making a splash in the NCAA stats. Vicky Galasso ranks first in the nation in RBI's per game at 1.56. She is fourth in total RBIs with 56, 13th in home runs (15), 13th in home runs per game (.42) and 16th in slugging percentage (.929). Kacie Burnett has the 12th best batting average in the country at .475. She ranks 41st in triples per game (.11), 18th in stolen bases per game (.67), 11th in runs per game (1.25), 24th in triples (4) and 32nd in on base percentage (.547). Katelyn Marquez is 14th in triples with five and 22nd in triples per game (.14).

Galasso Continues Climb in the Record Books
Vicky Galasso is breaking  nearly every ISU offensive career records. She is first in the career records for runs (173), hits (236), home runs (57), RBIs (205), walks (82) and total bases (457). She is second in the career records for doubles (40) She is two doubles from become the all-time leader.

Battle for All-Time Steals Leader
Junior Katelyn Marquez and sophomore Kacie Burnett are in a battle to become the all-time steals leader at ISU. Burnett currently holds the record as she has stolen 51 bases on 57 attempts. Marquez has stolen 49 bases on 55 attempts. This year Burnett is 24-25 stealing bases while Marquez is 12-13.  Five of Idaho State's 14 losses have come against Top 25 teams. ISU opened the season losing to No. 6/7 UCLA 13-3 in six innings. The Bengals then lost three close games to No. 7 Louisiana Lafayette. ISU lost a close 3-1 contest at Cal State Fullerton, a team that was receiving votes in the Top 25. The Bengals lost 10-2 in five innings to No. 23 Kansas.  

And the Winner is...
Katelyn Marquez became the fifth different Bengal to win Big Sky Player of the Week honors. She earned the honor for going 6-8 at the plate with a triple and scored two runs in the three-game series. She posted a .750 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .750 on base percentage over the weekend with one stolen base in her lone attempt.

Kacie Burnett earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors for her performance vs. Nevada where she was 10-12 at the plate with seven runs scored. She was a perfect seven-for-seven stealing bases.

Vicky Galasso won the honor for her performance at UNLV where she hit .667 (10-for-15) with three home runs and nine RBIs.

Hailey Breakwell earned her performance at Santa Clara. Breakwell hit .545 with four runs scored, six RBIs and had a .909 slugging percentage.  

Kacie Burnett and Sophie Slagle became the first Bengals to earn conference player of the week honors for their performance at Louisiana Lafayette. Burnett was named the Big Sky Player of the Week for hitting .429 with six hits, six runs scored and five RBIs at the Mardi Classic at Louisiana Lafayette. Slagle posted a 1-1 mark in 16.1 innings, striking out 12 and allowing five runs. Opponents only hit .207 off her in three appearances.

First Impression
Freshman Ashlyn Ames has come in as a freshman and contributed early in the circle. Ames is 7-4 with a 3.09 era. She has pitched 79.1 innings with six complete games and one save.

Preseason Softball Poll
Team Points
1. Idaho State 48 (6)
2. Sacramento State 42 (1)
3. Northern Colorado 34
4. Southern Utah 32 (1)
5. Weber State 29
6. Portland State 16
7. Montana 14
8. North Dakota 10
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
    
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